As we stand on the threshold of new exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond, we are reminded of the first American space explorers who bravely paved the way: the original Mercury 7 astronauts. These adventurers, and a quiet spot on Florida's east coast, were destined to become the focus of the new Space Age.

Image right: The first American manned space program was named Project Mercury. Image credit: NASA

The first national manned space flight project, later named Project Mercury, was born on Oct. 7, 1958. The program spanned nearly five years, with six manned missions making history between May 1961 and May 1963. In that short time, NASA achieved its goals for the project:

The American public first met the seven men chosen to be this country's first human space voyagers on April 9, 1959, at a press conference in Washington. The men were dubbed "astronauts." The term was a cross between "aeronauts," as ballooning pioneers were called, and "Argonauts," the legendary Greeks in search of the Golden Fleece. These new explorers were being prepared to sail into the new, uncharted vastness of space.

Take a look back at how they trained and launched from what was to become America's spaceport.

Image right: The selected seven astronauts go through survival training in the Nevada desert. Each astronaut was left there for four days with a mockup of a Mercury spacecraft, a parachute and a survival scenario. Image credit: NASA

Image left: The hard-packed sands of the Space Coast proved good for running, as Mercury astronaut John Glenn discovered. Image credit: NASA